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Ogods, Decisions – Geologists in the Audience, Halp!

It’s that time again – got me bonus, must stimulate the economy. I already have me music picked out, but ye olde book list is gargantuan. So what do I do? Make it bigger!

Need moar geology. So all you geologists and geology-enthusiasts in the audience, this is your chance to influence the composition of my science shelves. What shall I get? What tomes on geology can I not do without?

And if you know of good books on the geology of the Mediterranean, now is the time to mention them. For some reason, those are hard to track down on Amazon.

Non-geologist? No problem! Put in your recommendations for books you think I should own. I’m not looking exclusively for geology, thee knows.

6 thoughts on “Ogods, Decisions – Geologists in the Audience, Halp!”

If you like geology *and* mysteries, two authors: Susan Cummins Miller and Sarah Andrews (blogged here). (Warning, the links are affiliate links.)Also, for geology of the west with history of the west: "Hard Road West: History and Geology along the Gold Rush Trail."And "Oil Notes" by Rick Bass.

I second Ron: I just finished the second essay in McPhee's "The Control of Nature," for the umpteenth time, and enjoyed it more than ever. "Annals of a Former World" is a compilation of four books, revised and re-edited into one volume.Others:Seashell On The Mountaintop- a biography of Nicholas Steno.The Man Who Found Time- A biography of William Hutton.Life on a Young Planet- somewhat dated now, but the most recent findings on Precambrian life, from its earliest vestiges to the Cambrian Explosion, and its evolution, as of ~2003. Might be a little technical for you, but from what I see in your writing, I think you might have to struggle in a few places, but overall, would find it pretty amazing and enjoyable.

Also, Geology of Oregon (Orr and Orr)- numerous editions, all of which have value, but understandings have evolved rapidly over the last 30 years. This is the most up to date edition:http://www.amazon.com/Geology-Oregon-William-N-Orr/dp/0787266086Spendy, but the definitive work; you can probably find much better deals in used bookstores across the PNW.

Slightly OT, I'd recommend "Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters" by D.R. Prothero.My favorite general geology book is "California Geology" by Debbie Harden. She wrote it as a textbook for a class of the same name, but it's a wonderful overview of the wildly varying geology of the state, and includes a tidy introduction to some of the systemic concepts of geology, like plate tectonics. There's lots there that will help you understand similar geologic environments in other places.

I endorse the Hard Road West, it covers one of the least visited national conservation areas in the US the City of Rocks in Idaho, near the Nevada border on the California Trail. Most of the book is on the difficulties of Nevada and the Sierra Nevada, as it appears that at least as far as the Bear River things were not that difficult. Up to South Pass you had water (Sweetwater river in the last stretch). Of course if you go to Wyoming you need to see the Wind River Canyon, where the Wind River decides that flowing across a mountain range is just the thing to do. (Actually at one time according to McPhee, Rising from the Plains, the mountians were once buried in sediment, and the river set up a nice flat path, and then dug down till it hit the Owl Creek mountains . This stretch of highway has had a local geological society post signs with formation names on the road side. Also here you can see a Pre-Cambrian soil, below the Flathead Sandstone. (I did the first 1/2 of the Indiana University Geology Field Camp in 1972, which included the tour from Rapid City to Butte, Mt thru the canyon.

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